[Fwd: Linux News...]

[Bruce Smith <bruce@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> 
> Linux will continue to gain ground, panel declares
> 
> November 13, 1998
> 
> InfoWorld Electric via NewsEdge Corporation : SAN
> FRANCISCO -- With Goliaths such as Intel and Oracle throwing
> their weight behind Linux, the open-source Unix-like operating
> system has gathered enough steam that it is here to stay, said
> industry officials and the software's creator, Linus Torvalds, in a
> panel discussion here Tuesday.
> 
> Intel in 1999 plans to launch a broad developer support program
> aimed at extending the capabilities of the Linux operating system
> for Intel platforms, said Ken Shand, Linux program manager for
> Intel's enterprise server group.
> 
> "We're getting ready in 1999 for a large program to support this
> Linux community -- hopefully, not just one or two points, but in
> a broad way," Shand said during a panel discussion that took
> place at Oracle's OpenWorld conference here Tuesday afternoon.
> 
> The Intel program will get underway by seeking out developers
> who are experts in various aspects of Linux development,
> including symmetric multiprocessing technology, and provide them
> with Intel systems for testing and other technical support, Shand
> said.
> 
> Netscape plans to offer Linux versions of all of its server
> software products, said John Paul, senior vice president of
> Netscape's server products division.
> 
> Meanwhile, Oracle will release versions of Oracle8.5 for Linux
> early in 1999, and it is currently testing a Linux version of Oracle
> Applications for future release, said Allen Miner, vice president of
> strategic alliances with Oracle's Intel technologies division.
> 
> "Basically, what Oracle wants to do with Linux is help it dominate
> the world," Miner said.
> 
> With the kind of industry blessing on show here, Oracle might get
> its wish.
> 
> Momentum has been gathering behind so-called open-source
> software -- also known as freeware -- ever since Netscape
> went public with its Communicator source code early this year.
> Linux is among the better known open-source products available
> today.
> 
> Proponents say the open source model is compelling because it
> allows literally thousands of developers to make improvements to
> a software product, the best of which can be incorporated back
> into the original version.
> 
> But critics -- not least among them large software vendors such
> as Microsoft -- portray the freeware community as a
> semi-organized rabble of hobbyists, and question whether such a
> group can be trusted to act as caretakers for software used to
> run mission-critical applications.
> 
> "I would turn the question around, and ask, 'If it's a hobby for us
> and a job for you, then why are you doing such a shoddy job?' "
> retorted Torvalds, who developed Linux while a student at a
> university.
> 
> Despite not being developed by a single, commercial venture, the
> evolution of Linux has been successful and the platform has
> proved to be " self-governing," Torvalds said.
> 
> ISPs and several large corporations are already deploying Linux
> on a broad scale, though many businesses are unwilling to admit
> they use Linux because of the stigma surrounding open-source
> software, the panelists said.
> 
> "That's one of my pet peeves; there's a lot of companies that use
> Linux and they won't come out of the closet yet," Torvalds said.
> 
> Boeing, Nortel Networks, and telecommunications provider
> BellSouth are among the larger companies that have adopted
> Linux, Oracle's Miner said. The addition of Intel, Oracle, and
> Netscape to the roster of names supporting the software will help
> grow that user list, Intel's Shand said.
> 
> One reason Linux will be popular is because the OS provides
> businesses with an alternative platform to Windows NT, which is
> rapidly gobbling up the market for midsize Intel-based servers,
> Netscape's Paul said.
> 
> "All companies like to have an alternative to turn to, and I think
> customers want an alternative to NT," Paul said.
> 
> And that is a notion that fits in with Torvalds' goals, too.
> 
> "I'm no longer looking at the Unix market when I'm looking for
> competition; I'm more focused on NT and Windows 98," Torvalds
> said. Other Unix vendors have "given up" on the desktop, he
> added.
> 
> Linux's popularity will not be limited to the United States, and the
> platform is growing into a world-class product with distributors
> in both Europe and Asia, as well as in the United States, Torvalds
> said.
> 
> Tokyo-based Pacific HiTech is developing a Japanese language
> version of the OS for its local market, and the German arm of
> Oakland, California-based SuSE is a key distributor in Europe,
> Torvalds said. The U.S. market is served by Caldera Systems and
> Red Hat Software -- which recently secured an equity
> investment from Intel, he said.
> 
> Because the copyright for the Linux kernel is owned by many
> people, companies do not have to worry about any one
> organization co-opting the software, Torvalds said.
> 
> "One hundred people own parts of the Linux copyright, which
> means that even if I wanted to turn to the 'dark side' I couldn't,"
> Torvalds said, drawing laughter from the crowded hall.
> 
> Linux does not support the large, multiprocessor configurations
> that commercial Unix versions do, and is "somewhere in the
> middle of the pack" in terms of capabilities compared to other
> flavors of Unix, Torvalds said.
> 
> Intel's Shand offered a more sobering view. The operating system
> needs "a lot of other features" before it is ready to take on Unix
> in the enterprise, including better fault tolerance and
> systems-management capabilities, he said.
> 
> Linux's multiprocessor support is unlikely to go beyond eight-
> and 16-way configurations for the next five years, but future
> scalability will be derived by deploying those eight- and 16-way
> systems in clustered configurations, Torvalds said.
> 
> The Linux creator might not be the person who will lead the
> charge for scalability, however. Torvalds developed Linux
> originally for his personal use at home, he said, and he remains
> more interested in writing software for use by "the normal
> person."
> 
> Currently employed by Transmeta, a secretive Silicon valley
> start-up company, Torvalds has turned down many lucrative
> employment offers from Red Hat, he said.
> 
> "If I went to Red Hat, that would put an implicit stamp of
> approval on them and I don't want to do that," Torvalds said,
> although he praised the company for the quality of its product.
> 
> If the panel's view of Linux is an accurate one, Torvalds' job
> prospects do not look so bad for the future.
> 
> "The momentum behind Linux is so great -- I can't see what
> would stop this continuing to snowball," Oracle's Miner said.
> 
> More information on Linux can be found at www.linux.org.
> 
> <i><A HREF="mailto:james_niccolai@idg.com">James Niccolai
> </A> is a San Francisco correspondent for the IDG News
> Service, an InfoWorld affiliate.</i>
> 
> Related articles:
> 
> "Microsoft on Linux, again: 'best of breed' Unix"
> 
> "Microsoft details open source software strategy"
> 
> "Linux campaign rolls on: Unix camp seeks ally"
> 
> <<InfoWorld Electric -- 11-11-98>>